Chapter 12
Tremors coursed through Mèabh’s hands, making it impossible for her to grip the mare’s reins. A storm of wrath surfaced from her soul and eroded her senses. An ashen haze disrupted her vision as retribution boiled her blood. Raw, aching ferocity gnawed at her being like a monster clawing at its cage. She put on a good front when addressing Annanias, her tormentor and enemy, but the tactical mask had now slipped off. Annanias had destroyed her down to her atoms. He was a monster that wreathed in the peripheral shadows of her mind.
Darkness and destruction stared at her whenever she glanced in a mirror. Mèabh should have claimed all that was the element of light and become the very definition of that magic. Instead, she was patches of shadows resistant to any warmth and brilliance.
She wore the shame and putrid gloom of her past like a second skin.
Mèabh hadn’t bothered to piece herself together after her escape from the Darkness. It had been about survival the instant her mind cleared of the drugs Annanias fed her to keep her compliant. No one expects a life can change in the blink of an eye, but it did for Mèabh.
She had mixed feelings about the baby. It was a political tool, a power to destroy Annanias, a hindrance to her power, a leech, a festering of her soul, and an unexpected savior. After conception, females lost most of their access to their power, while at the same time, an influx of the supernatural overtook their bodies. Mèabh’s body purged itself of all impurities and thrust her into a game of endurance. Had that flushing of her system never occurred, the Darkness and Annanias would have kept her subdued.
Mèabh suffered in a world where kings abused their power and heroes lost when they rose to battle. That should have been enough to make her abandon hope and leave Etrucia. She owed the world nothing, but incendiary conviction settled upon her being.
Out of the rubble of a fallen kingdom, she clawed toward her destiny. Mèabh would not fall to the Darkness or the power of manipulation this time. Valor sang to her, and she would use that anthem to rally the rest of Etrucia against the carnage of tyranny.
Ràidhen swung his leg over his steed’s back. Adjusting his position, he trotted over to where she sat, staring into the distance. Mèabh’s shoulders wiggled, her spine feeling constricted from the nearness of another person. She shook her head as if rattling her brain would dislodge her chaotic feelings. It wasn’t Ràidhen’s fault she was uncomfortable. No, that blame lay on Annanias’ head. That snake caused her to feel like a rabid animal, and she hated it.
She used to make dragons shiver in trepidation, for sun’s sake.
“Are you all right?” Ràidhen steadied his horse and leaned over as if he could decipher her mood by examining her expression.
Mèabh steadied her boiling animosity toward Annanias before replying to Ràidhen. “I’m fine.”
Ràidhen cleared his throat and adjusted his position on the saddle. “Watching your bravery and your dignity as queen was the most inspiring moment of my life. I can’t comprehend what you’ve been through, but I offer my gratitude for trusting those of us who have yet to show our worth as kings.”
“I’m pissed off and spiteful. I’m not sure that counts as courage.”
He seemed to consider that and added, “Your fury is valuable and has meaning. ...
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